Column-base.



No.842,604. Y I PATENTED JAN. 29, 1907.

c. E. ZIMMERMANN.

COLUMN BASE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1906.

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No,'842,604. 'PATENTED JAN. '29, 1907'. I

0. E; ZIMMERMANN.

COLUMN BASE. APPLICATION FILED 'MAY 4, 1906.

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ATZ'ORJVE Y.

CHARLES E. ZIMMERMANN, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

COLUMN-BASE,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1907.

Application filed May 4,1905. Serial No. 258,875.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. ZIMMER- MANN, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Column Bases, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention pertains to wooden columns or pillars employed for architectural purposes.

The inventionresides in a metallic base for a column of that character, and it relates more particularly to the style of base shown and described in my United States Letters Patent No. 769,976, issued September 13, 1904.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a base which shall more effectually protect the lower end of the superposed wooden column or pillar from moisture and decay.

Another object is to provide a base which shall be simple, strong, and durable in construction and shall permit of easy and convenient attachment of the column thereto and at the same time shall be inexpensive in its manufacture.

To that end the invention consists in thenovel constructionand arrangement of the separable metallic base and torus in combination with the woodenc'olumn supported on the latter.

The invention also consists in several novel details of construction of the combined base and torus, as will be hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of a portion of a column provided with a separable metallic base and torus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of said base. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View of the torus. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a corner portion of the base. Figs. 5 and 6 are transverse sections taken on the dotted lines X X and Y Y, respectively, in Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is partly a side view and partly a vertical section of a por tion of a column and base, and showing a modification of the means for sustaining the torus on the base.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents my improved base, which is preferably formed square and is composed of a hollow casting of any suitable metal and comprises, essentially, side walls a a, of any desired depth and a top 1), consisting of a plate. The said walls are provided with open ings c c,'preferably formed at the lower edges thereof, which openings serve to allow a circulation of air under the base. By forming the openings as shown main floor-bearings are produced at the corners of the base, as indicated at d d.

The corner portions of the base at the junctions of the walls I cast thicker than the said walls, as indicated at e, and provide these portions with vertical sockets f f and with apertures g g, extending from the sockets through the bottom of said portions. These apertures serve 'for the reception of screws h h for fastening the base to the floor or other foundation, as A, and the said sockets serve to permit countersinking of the heads of the screws.

hen the base has been fastened to the floor, I prefer to fill these sockets with putty, cement, or other suitable material which will be unobserved'when a coat of paint is applied to the said base. Thus the appearance of the base will not be marred.

The top plate I) of the base is provided with a central annular opening a and with an elevated annulus j, surrounding the opening, and at the edge of the said opening is preferably formed a depending flange k, which serves to strengthen the said plate. The innor face of this top plate I) is formed with ribs (1" (1, extending from the corners of the base to the opening & and deflected downwardly at said opening, as indicated at b, and they terminate with horizontal plates 0 c, constituting feet which firmly support the plate and afford additional floor-bearings for the base, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. B denotes the cast-metal torus, which is also formed hollow and provided with an opening (1 in its top and an opening 6 in its bottom, which openings coincide with the opening 7; of the base. The said torus is formed with a flat lower portion, as indicated at f, by which it is seated removably upon the aforesaid annulus of the top plate of the base. T o sustain said torus in its position, I prefer to provide the edges of the lower opening 6 with depending lugs g g, which engage the edges of the opening 11 of said top plate, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In some. instances, however, I desire to fasten the torus to the base by means of bolts h h, passing through the flat bottom portion of the torus and annulus of said top plate, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. If desired, the lugs may be used in connection with said bolts, and they serve as means for centering the torus in assembling the parts. The top portion of said torus is provided with an annulus 'i, which surrounds the opening thereat and is provided with apertures y" j for the reception of screws 7c k, by which said torus is fastened to the wooden column C. By providing the aforesaid openings in the base and torus the lower end of the column is exposed to the air, and thereby prevented from decaying.

What I claim is- 1. In a column for architectural purposes, the combination of a hollow metallic base, a hollow metallic torus formed separate therefrom and seated removably thereon, and the column propercomposed of wood and supported upon the said torus as set forth.

2. In a column for architectural purposes, the combination of a hollow metallic base composed of side walls and a top plate provided with a central annular opening, a hollow metallic torus seated removably upon the base, and provided with coinciding openings in its top and bottom, and the column proper composed of wood and supported upon said torus as set forth.

3. The combination with a column, of a separately-formed hollow metallic base having a top plate provided with a central annular opening, and a separately-formed hollow metallic torus seated removably upon the base and provided with means engaging the edges of the opening for sustaining the same in position and detachably secured to the column as set forth.

4. The combination with a column, of a separable hollow metallic base formed with V a top plate provided with a central annular opening, and a separable hollow metallic torus seated removably upon the base and provided with top and bottom concentric openings and formed with downwardly-projecting lugs at the edges of the lower opening engaging the edges of the said top late to sustain the torus in position, the sai column being supported on said torus and secured detachably thereto as set forth and shown.

5. The combination with a wooden column, of a hollow metallic base having-an open bottom and composed of side walls having openings and a top plate having a central annular opening, and a separable hollow metallic torus having an open top and an open bottom and formed with an annulus at its movably upon the base and provided with an open top and an open bottom and means,

for detachably securing said torus to the'column as set forth.

7. The combination with awooden column, of a hollow cast-metal base composed of side walls having openings and a top plate provided with a central annular opening and provided with main floor-bearings at the corners thereof, the inner face of the said top plate provided with bracing-ribs extending from the corners to the-opening thereof and formed with feet under the opening affording additional floor-bearings and supporting said top plate, and a hollow cast-metal torus seated removably upon the base provided with top and bottom, openings coinciding with the opening of the top plate and pro vided with means for sustaining the same in position, and means for securing said torus detachably to the column as set forth.

CHARLES E. ZIMMERMANN. Witnesses:

L. H. FULMER, M. E. STANFORD. 

